Waiting for Eggs!

[haasle]

Hello all - this is my first time with chickens and I have 4. They are just 17 weeks so now I'm waiting for them to lay eggs. What I'm wondering is - are there any indicators (other than the obvious) that they are preparing to lay an egg? Will I just go out one morning and find an egg sitting there? lol
They have just started being very vocal - and my other question is - are there "types" of clucks - like babies have different cries (tired, hungry, scared, etc) Is it the same for chickens? Half the time they are making noise and I have no clue what it means! Just wondering!

 

[SpaghettiJo]

If you put your hand over their back, do they squat down and move their wings further from their body? In other words, are they squatters? That is a great way to tell if they will be laying soon... in my experience, it seems like the closer they are to laying, the further down they will squat..

Also, if you start noticing they are hanging out in the nesting boxes more often.. thats a good indicator as well..